Portable canopy



Allg- 2, 1955 c. B. MELDRUM 2,714,387

' PORTABLE CANOPY Filed June '16, 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN V EN TOR.

C. B. MELDRUM.

PORTABLE CANOPY Aug. 2, 1955 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed June 16, 1953 r r a r I r a 4 r r z a a a v r a v United States Patent PORTABLE CANOPY Clarence B. Meldrum, Detroit, Mich. Application June 16, 1953, Serial No. 361,965

3 Claims. (Cl. 135-6) This invention relates to 'aportable canopy, adapted to be mounted upon any of various supporting means, such as a small boat, picnic table, etc.

Among important objects of the invention are to provide a canopy which can be erected in a few minutes, without the use of tools; to provide a means in a portable canopy that will allow the flexible canopy element to be adjusted as to elevation or tilt; to provide means eifecti've for tensioning the flexible canopy element; to provide a portable canopy that will be of knock-down, collapsible design, thereby to permit its storage in a minimum area; and to provide a canopy that can be erected on both horizontally and vertically disposed supports, with the support posts of the canopy being adapted to be spaced selected distances apart at their lower ends according to the nature of the associated support, which distances can differ from the distances between the upper, canopyelement-engaging ends of the posts without aifecting adversely the use of the structure.

Other objects will appear from the following description, the claims appended thereto, and from the annexed drawings, in which like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several views, and wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a boat equipped with a canopy formed in accordance with the present invention;

Figure 2 is a view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of one of the posts and the canopy member, portions being broken away;

Figure 3 is a view substantially similar to Figure 2, showing the device mounted upon a table;

Figure 4 is a longitudinal sectional view through one of the support posts, portions being broken away;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, detail sectional view in which portions remain in elevation, showing one of the cross bars of the canopy member and the associated end portion of a support post;

Figure 6 is a sectional view on line 6-6 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view, partly in section, showing sections of a single cross bar as they appear when disconnected from one another;

Figure 8 is an enlarged, transverse sectional view taken substantially on line 88 of Figure 2;

Figure 9 is a detailsectional view on line 9- 9 of Figure 4, on an enlarged scale;

Figure 10 is a sectional view on line 1010 of Figure 4, and

Figure 11 is a sectional view on line 11--11 of Figure 4, showing the means for locking the telescoping members of a single post against relative movement.

In the several figures of the drawing, the invention has been designated generally by the reference numeral 12, and has been shown in Figures 1 and 3 as it appears when applied to a boat 14 and. table 16, respectively.

The portable canopy constituting the present invention can be considered as comprising, as basic components thereof, a series of upstanding support posts, and a 2 canopy member connected detaehably to the up er ends of and supported by the posts.

The several posts are of identical construction, and hence, the description of one will sufiice for all. Figure 4 illustrates the individual post construction particularly well, and referring to this figure of the drawing, it will be seen that each post includes a lower post member 18 of tubular, elongated, open ended formation.

Fixedly engaged within the lower end of the lower post member 18 is an elongated, cylindrical stud 20 pro jecting upwardly from a clamp support body 22. The stud and body are integrally formed, a circumferential shoulder being defined at the lower end of the stud, against which shoulder the lower end of post member 18 abuts.

Clamp support body 22 is integrally formed with a depending, relatively flat tongue 24 having a smooth walled center opening through which extends a bolt 26 that is integrally formed, at one end, with a reduced portion 28 threadedly engaged in the transverse opening 30 of a thickened mid-length portion 32 of a longitudinal reinforcing rib 34 of a o-clanip 36. A washer 38 is t'erpo'sed between tongue 24' and thickened portion 32, and threadable upon the bolt 26 is a wing nut 46, "which holds the clamp 36 in selected ositions to which it is swingably adjusted about the transverse axis defined by the bolt 26.

This arrangement facilitates the mountin of the post upon any of various supporting surfaces, whether said supporting surfaces be inclined, vertical, er horizontal. For example, in Figures 1 and 2, the clamp is shown adjusted to a position in which it is engageable with the vertically disposed side wall of a "row" boat 15. In Figure 3, the clamp has been adjusted through ninety de= gre'es about its pivot axis, so as to be engageable with the horizontally disposed table top of a table 16. Ob viously, the clamp could be adjusted to other positions, for gripping supports that are inclined.

A split ring clamp 42, having circuniier ntial, outwardly extended, reinforcing end flanges, is eircuniposed about the lower post member 18, intermediate the opposit'e ends of said lower post member. .A liner 44 is interposed between the clamp and post member, and a bolt 46 is extended between the spaced ears of the clamp, for fixedly attaching the clamp 42 to the post member in selected positions to which said clamp is adjusted longitudinally and/or rotatabl'y upon the post member.

The bolt 46 is adapted to provide a pivot to which is connected the flattened tongue 48 formed upon one end of a brace member 50.

It will be seen that the brace means defined by clamp 42 and brace member 50 can be adjusted longitudinally and rotatably upon the associated post, and is adapted to brace the post in a vertical position, by engaging the associated support on which the post is mounted.

Formed upon the upper end of the lower post member are longitudinally extending, tapering, externally "threaded clamping tongues 52, with which is engaged a jam nut 54. An upper post member 56 of rod-like formation is telescoped within the upper end of the lower post member, and can be adjusted longitudinally of the lower post member, to form the post to a selected length. In each position to which the upper post member is lon gitudinally adjusted, it can be rotated, and as will be apparent, tightening of the jam nut will then be efiective to hold the post members against relative movement from the selected position of adjustment.

integrally formed on the upper end of the upper post member 56 is a radial extension 58, disposed at right angles to the axis of the upper post member. At its outer end, the extension 58 is integral with an upstanding, relatively short terminal portion 60 having, intermediate cross bars, as will be seen from Figures 57, are so formed as to permit the sections of each cross bar to be detached from one another when the device is to be stored. To this end, the abutting inner ends of the cross bar sections are provided with interlocking detent elements. The inner end of one section has a cylindrical bar 72, the bar 72 being fixedly secured to its associated section by any suitable means, as for example by welding, set screw, etc. Bar 72 projects beyond the inner end of the associated section 72, and is integrally formed with a ball element 74. On the other section 70 there is secured a leaf spring 76, said spring being anchored fixedly to the section associated therewith at one of its ends, the spring 76 having, at its free end, a detent pin 78 extendable into a circumferential groove 80 defined between the body portion of bar 72 and ball element 74.

It will be seen that to connect the sections in end to end, abutting relationship, it is merely necessary that the section shown at the right in Figure 7 be shifted inwardly, so as to cause the ball element 74 to enter the open inner end of the cooperating cross bar section 70. Ball element 74 biases pin 78 outwardly, until the ball element has passed the pin. Thereafter, spring 76 urges the pin 78 into groove 80, in the manner shown in Figure 5.

A canopy member comprises not only the cross bars, but also a canopy element 82. Element 82 can be formed of canvas or any other flexible material, and can, in a commercial embodiment of the invention, be provided with a peripheral, depending fringe 84. At opposite ends of canopy element 82, hems 86 of a tubular type are provided, the cross bars extending through said hems and projecting beyond the opposite ends of the hems.

In the several corners of the canopy element 82, I secure grommets 88, said grommets receiving the tips 64 of the several posts, for securing the canopy elements, as well as the associated cross bars, directly to said posts.

By reason of the construction illustrated and described,

it will be seen that the upper post members 56 can be rotatably adjusted in position, thus to cause the radial extensions 58, which are in effect crank arms, to be rotatably adjusted about the axes of the posts. Rotary adjustment of the radial extensions in this manner is effective to place a selected tension upon the element 82. Further, these adjustments facilitate the mounting of the posts on supports of different types, without regard for the spacing between the upper ends of the several posts. In other words, as necessary the posts can be rotatably adjusted about the centers defined by the grommets 88, to locate the lower ends of the posts properly relative to an associated support. This might be of particular value, as will be noted from Figure 1, where the canopy is mounted upon a row boat, the width of which varies at different points taken longitudinally of the boat.

Further, the construction facilitates the longitudinal or transverse tilting of the canopy, which tilting may be desirable to insure that the canopy will be properly orientated relative to the rays of the sun.

It is also important to note that the overall elevation of the canopy can be adjusted as desired, by loosening of the jam nuts 54 and extension of the upper post members 56 relative to their associated lower post members 18.

The device, of course, can be mountable upon any of various supporting means, such as the boat 14 and the table 16 illustrated. Other uses of the canopy can, I believe, suggest themselves, and it will be understood that the illustrated examples are provided purely by way of illustration, and are not to be considered as unduly restrictive of the several uses to which the structure can be advantageously put.

It is believed apparent that the invention is not necessarily confined to the specific use or uses thereof described above, since it may be utilized for any purpose to which it may be suited. Nor is the invention to be necessarily limited to the specific construction illustrated and described, since such construction is only intended to be illustrative of the principles of operation and the means presently devised to carry out said principles, it being considered that the invention comprehends any minor change in construction that may be permitted within the scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A portable canopy for mounting on the sides of a boat, comprising a series of four rectangularly spaced, vertical posts each including an elongated main portion having at its upper end a radial extension disposed perpendicularly to the length of the post and formed at its outer end with an upwardly extending terminal part, each of said extensions constituting a crank element, for rotation of the main portion of a post through a circular path about the axis of its associated terminal part to selectively locate the lower ends of the posts in respect to said sides of the boat while preserving unchanged the rectangular spacing of the terminal parts; clamp means at the lower ends of the posts engageable with said sides, and a rectangular canopy having at its corners openings registering with and receiving said terminal parts.

2. A portable canopy for mounting on the sides of a boat, comprising a series of four rectangularly spaced, vertical posts each including an elongated main portion having at its upper end a radial extension disposed perpendicularly to the length of the post and formed at its outer end with an upwardly extending terminal part, each of said extensions constituting a crank element, for rotation of the main portion of a post through a circular path about the axis of its associated terminal part to selectively locate the lower ends of the posts in respect to said sides of the boat while preserving unchanged the rectangular spacing of the terminal parts; clamp means at the lower ends of the posts engageable with said sides, and a rectangular canopy member having at its corners openings registering with and receiving said terminal parts, said posts being individually adjustable as to length so as to extend the posts at one side of said boat in respect to the posts at the other side for adjustable tilting of said member.

3. A portable canopy for mounting on the sides of a boat, comprising a series of four rectangularly spaced, vertical posts each including an elongated main portion having at its upper end a radial extension disposed perpendicularly to the length of the post and formed at its outer end with an upwardly extending terminal part, each of said extensions constituting a crank element, for rotation of the main portion of a post through a circular path about the axis of its associated terminal part to selectively locate the lower ends of the posts in respect to said sides of the boat while preserving unchanged the rectangular spacing of the terminal parts; clamp means at the lower ends of the posts engageable with said sides, and a rectangular canopy member having at its corners openings registering with an receiving said terminal parts, said posts being individually adjustable as to length so as to extend the posts at one side of said boat in respect to the posts at the other side for adjustable tilting of said member, each of said posts being connected to its associated clamp means for pivotal adjustment about an axis extending transversely of the lower end of the post.

(References on following page) 1:! J References Cited in the file of this patent 601,977 UNITED STATES PATENTS 136,456 Petersen et a1. Mar. 4, 1873 1 863963 V0116 APT. 3, 5 270,224 Johnson et a1. Jan. 9, 1883 2618285 534,434 Frost Feb. 19, 1895 McDonald Apr. 5, 1898 Mapes July 22, 1902 Hennessy Aug. 23, 1904 Bonnet June 21, 1932 Hirose et a1 May 16, 1933 Heisig ..1 Nov. 18, 1952 

